St Helen’s being publicly used for the first time since 1985 as the setting for a memorial to Dr Frank Atkinson.
On Saturday afternoon St Helen’s Church became the setting for a memorial to the life of Dr Frank Atkinson – our founder director and the creator of Beamish. Although the church will not be completely finished, and opened to the public, until November, it seemed appropriate to hold the event in an ongoing project. Frank passionately felt that the Museum would never be completed, but would continue to grow as it recorded and collected the heritage of the North East.
Shaun, Keith and John completing the tricky task of hanging the chandeliers.
Jim and Clara ringing the bells to signal the start of the memorial.
The Buildings Team and our local contractors were working hard last week to get the Church ready for the event. This included everything from installing and glazing the metal window in the chancel, to hanging the chandeliers, to repairing collections, to fitting the altar and gallery rails, to even fixing a leak in the roof! The final touch was to fill the church with items from our collection, including the huge Georgian commandment boards which were hung either side of the arch in the nave.
A huge thank you for everyone’s hard work!
Beamish Buildings 